CaliSoxFanViaSWside

To me it's simple. They need multiple guys to have career years or at least play the most games they ever have and stay healthy.If that happens you will get career years just based on health and the talent involved. Did you know Eloy and Robert haven't stayed on the field long enough to actually be good together for any real length of time ? Imagine how good the offense could be with both of them playing well together for a long stretch of the season combined with Moncada being much better and Colas having a strong rookie season and Vaughn having a breakout year also. They were so poor against RHP last year but if Moncada, Colas and Benintendi all hit well and Eloy and Robert stay healthy all of a sudden they are strong against RHP. You really wouldn't even need Grandal to bounce back all that much then since he is the oldest and playing the most physically demanding position . But the rest of those guys all can do soooo much better than they have with the exception of Colas and Benintendi who are the newcomers. Hell Anderson too might be the most likely to bounce back to his accustomed levels. But we really do need the guys who bat LH to produce .

Athletic training is such a minefield. Somewhere some trainer has to step up and say "do not weight train to the point that you're adding 20+ pounds. If you are a pitcher you can maybe experiment with adding close to 10 lbs to your legs or lower body to improve your drive off the mound. A real baseball trainer can't just be about the proper way to lift weights. They have to understand whats best for each position on the field , each players physiology and health history and the after effects of Covid and tailor the needs of the player accordingly. The really need to be experts in quite a few fields along with acute knowledge of baseball. If you are a hitter perhaps a 5-10 lbs to your upper body but wrists are so important you don't really have to add much weight because how much weight can you really put on your forearms and keeping your wrists strong ? Now I'm not an expert in these things by any stretch of the imagination. But when you finish growing and are in your physical prime generally from 18 to mid to late 20's years old , the weight you are in those years is generally the weight you should maintain where you are at your most athletic self generally .Obviously the maturation of your body may add some pounds but it's up to you to distribute it where you need it as well as where your genetics put it. Strength and weight gain without maintaining flexibility, quickness, speed and athleticism and putting it where it should be can be more of a detriment than a help. Diet and stamina training, expanding your lungs by running or lower impact stamina training like life cycles will help too. But this thing about just gaining muscle all over is not for baseball players which is a finesse sport. Legs and core most important. Flexibility in your legs and back and a strong stomach should prevent a lot of pulled leg muscles but again if you have any unnatural curvature of your spine like scoliosis it's even more important to keep your core strong. A trainer should know all of these things about a player he is training. One size does not fit all. Even a smart guy like Giolito who is always looking for ways to get better somehow was misinformed about gaining so much extra weight. These players are young and impressionable. They may make decisions about their own bodies without fully understanding what they need to understand . They may have a buddy from their country who can tell them how to add muscle but without all the proper knowledge they truly need to actually help them become a better baseball player. I don't know if the Sox have one person who is the kind of guy I am talking about but if they do they need to direct the players to that guy about how they can become a better player through training specifically geared to them. I'm not even sure if the Sox management is fully informed enough to hire the right guy(s) for the job.

Not really but as Katz said not opening day per se because he isn't the Opening Day starter but in the 2nd series of the season he'll be ready for his 1st start.

Me neither the ghost runner rule is to try to preserve the health of all players and make the season less of a grind. In hockey the OT is 3 on 3 in a 5 minute period. In the post season they go back to 5 on 5 and a 20 minute period. Once you make it to the post season in both sports it's who can prove they are the best despite exhaustion and fatigue so talent plus stamina has more of a chance to win out.

I think there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic Eloy, Robert, Kopech and Vaughn could all have breakout seasons. To a lesser extent Crochet looks like he'll be back earlier than predicted. Joe Kelly is healthy, as are Grandal, Lynn and Moncada. Grifol and his staff are an upgrade over LaRussa and the fired coaches. We are more left handed and should hit RHP pitching better with Benintendi and Colas. Colas could surprise us all and have a good rookie season and throw out some runners which the OF rarely did last year. It's all how you look at it. Nothing anyone says can change your mind if you choose to be sour during spring.

When you get old you can have multiple problems that you are on permanent meds for. It's not surprising that he couldn't handle the stress. He could have the start of dementia also.

Hoping people view and like these videos I posted. There's more podcasts on youtube like the CHGO podcasts and Locked on White Sox. As a Sox fan I like seeing Sox related podcasts succeed, the more than merrier. The CHGO Sox podcasts are usually longer and at least 5 minutes worth of product plugs but Vinnie Duber is the resident expert on it so most of the time it's worthwhile. Pinwheels and Ivy as you might ascertain by its name, deals with White Sox and Cubs stuff.

I think u mean the 2022 anomaly not 2023 if you're speaking about Andrus 3.5 fWar last year and his 2 fWar he accumulated with the Sox in less than 2 months. At least we know he was still capable of that kind of production. Between Abreu, Cueto, Andrus and Hendrik's that's10 War the team lost. If Sheets doesn't make opening day roster that a .900 home OPS gone too from a .500 team. Better OF defense will help. But any WAR picked up will have to come from Benintendi, Colas, and the oft injured position players. Vaughn primed for a breakout year as are Eloy and Robert. Can't count on Clevinger for any. Gio has to rebound, Kopech needs to stay healthy and go more innings. Lynn has to stay healthy. Davis Martin can be mediocre but he can't suck. THe BP also can't suck. Can't really count on Crochet for anything despite the recent revelation that he may be back by mid May. Who even knows what that means. Many questions, need positive answers. Despite the odds against Andrus repeating a 3.5 fWar year. I'd take him in a heartbeat.